This Elder Scrolls Online beta weekend will begin like a batshit reverse Noah’s ark: hundreds of cats and lizards will sprint off the boats on their hind legs and into all corners of Tamriel (bar those reserved for expansion packs). They’ll desperately hoover up quests and experience, in the hope of reaching level 10 - unlocking PvP in the process - before Monday comes.

Want to join them? Check your inbox: you might already have.

Check your spam folder and your Gmail promotions tab, too, because those beta invites tend to slip between the cracks. But if you’ve previously signed up for updates on ESO, there’s every chance you’ve been mailed a golden ticket to Zenimax Online’s XP factory.

A splurge of beta invites for PC and Mac have left Tamriel this morning. They allow access to the game between this Friday, February 7 from 12pm EST and Monday, February 10 at 11:59pm EST.

A further 500,000 have been delegated to Curse members - but Premium types get first dibs until tomorrow, so there’s a possibility you’re setting yourself up for sadface by getting involved in that.

“Launch for PC and Mac on 4.4.14 is on the horizon, and the beta is only getting bigger as that date approaches,” write Bethesda. “Make sure you’ve signed up to test if you haven’t yet so you’ll have your chance to join us.”

Yup: more invites will be coming in the near future, so don’t dedicate too much of your day to despair if you didn’t pump enough points into Luck. While you're waiting, maybe refresh your memory on everything we know about The Elder Scrolls Online.

If you are lucky, remember there’s a serious-face NDA on anything you might see or hear while in the wilds. Careless talk costs keys. Does that apply to any of you lot? About half of PCGN will be there too, hopping up and down in the woods about Daggerfall like loons.

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